Cloth clamp for textile machinery



H. O. WIEGAND.' CLOTH CLAMP FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY.

APPLICAIION FILED MAY 3, I922.

Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

IN V EN TOR.

UNITED STATE-3 rarer" castes.

IBUTTERWORTH & SONS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOTH CLAMP non TEXTILE MACHINERY. I

Specification of Letters Patent. E'dtfinted Aug, 22, 1922,

Application filed May 3, 1922. Serial No. 558,133.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGO O. WIEGAND, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improve.- ment in Cloth Clamps for Textile Machinery,.of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a construction of automatic cloth clamp for textile machinery, and more particularly, for use in connection with tentering machines for gripping the selvages of the cloth during the operation of stretching and otherwise working the fabric.

More particularly, my object is to provide a construction wherein the gripping surface and the control finger are associated and assembled more especially with respect to each other, and whereby they may be jointly secured in position upon the main frame of the clamp in an effective and accurate manner. r

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will be more fully understood from the description hereinafter, the invention consists in the novel construction of cloth clamp fortextile machinery, as hereinafter more fully described and defined in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one of my improved cloth clamps; Fig. 2 is a plan thereof; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the associated clamp plate and control finger looking from the rear; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the same; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section through a portion of the cloth clamp, taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

. 2 is the main frame or casting of the clamp and constitutes one jaw of the same, 3 is the overhanging housing or bracket to which the pivoted jaw i of the clamp is pivoted on a transverse shaft 5, said pivoted jaw having an upwardly extending arm 6 adapted to be actuated by cam mechanism during the travel of the clamp. The base 2 of the clamp is provided in the usual manner with the link portion 7 whereby a series of the clamps may be connected side by side to form a chain of clamps. Following the usual practice in tentering machines, the base portion 2 of the clamp frame is provided near its free end with a vertical slot 13. The extreme front edge machined to a definite vertical thickness, as indicated atv 12 in Fig. 5. Fitting over the upper surface of the base 2 is a fiat plate 8 of brass or other suitable material of, a non-corrosive nature, the forward portion of which is bent downward and backwardto form a jaw 9 which snugly fits over the edge 12 of the part 2, and .in that manner held against vertical movement. Near the rear of the plate 8 a rivet 11 extends through the same and through the base part 2 of the clamp for holding the plate firmly in position and against shifting forward. In this manner,

the jaw part 9 and the. rivet 11 conjointly insure the plate 8' being firmly attached in position. As the length of the plate along the line of the jaw is veryconsiderable and fits against the elongated machined edge 12 of. the part 2, there is no possibility of the plate 8 oscillating about the rivet 11. and consequently the plate; is firmly and rigidly positioned upon the body part 2 of the clamp. In'practice, the upper surface of the part 2 is preferably machined so that the brass plate 8 closely fits the same and avoids all spring action.

The plate 8 is further provided. witha slotted opening 14, which is' in alinementgif with the opening 13 in the base 2 of the clamp and this opening is immediately, to

the rear of the forward surface upon which The rear part of the plate 8 is artly-severed and the two strips thus forme bent upward as at 1 0 to form a hinge socket in which. the

the cloth 2l-isfclamped by the. pivoted jaw 4L, the position of these two parts during the clamping action being as shown in Fig.1;

control finger 15 is 'pivotedby the transverse, I

rivet 16., The controlfinger 15 is provided with a radial slot 18, and atits lowerforward and free end is provided with, a foot 17 which is so positioned that it is immediately above the slot 1 1, in the plate 8, and when not sustained by the cloth 21 will fall through the slot, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 4. The rear part of thepivoted jaw 4 is provided with rearwardly projecting arms 19 forming a slot between them in which the finger 15 is free to rise and fall and said arms are provided at their rear ends'with a transverse pin or rivet 20 which extends through the slot 18 of the finger15.

When the jaw l is moved backward, the A 1: er 15 is raised by the pin 20 and after t e cloth Qi is introduced between the jaw i and the foot 17 of the finger 15 on the one part, and the plate 8 on the other pi cam (not shown) releases the arm 6 and thereupon the finger 15 is allowed toi all until its foot 17 rests upon the cloth over the slot 14 and is thereby sustained, as indicated in Fig. 5. In the further operation, the cloth 21 is gradually moved outward relatively to the plate 8 until finally the selvage passes from beneath the foot 17 of the finger l5 and permits it to. drop. Thereupon the jaw which has heretofore been sustained by the action o'tthe finger 15 upon the pin 20, is permitted to swing forward and downward and in that way act to grip the fabric close to the selvage thereof. The falling of the finger 15 assists in closing the jaw lupon the cloth. In this manner, the cloth is gripped between the jaw l and the plate 8 close to its selvage and the parts are responsive so that under all conditions the gripping of the cloth is uniform and positive.

Heret'ofore, it was customary to pivot the control finger 15 to the main casting of the device and usually to the overhanging arm or housing portion 3 thereof, which construction was not only expensive but was alsoliable to have the control finger inaccurately positioned with respectto the operating parts of the clamp. By the present construction, it is manifest that the cooperating parts of the plate 8 and the control finger 15 are definitely and positively corelated and easily and cheaply associated, and at all times operate in accurate cooperation. Furthermore, as the plate .8 is positively and accurately fitted to the machinedpart 1:2 of the base 2 and definitely held in that portionby the rivet 11, it is manifest that the control finger 1s definitely positioned in respect to the casting 2. In this manner, the clamps are not only inexpensive to construct, but they maybe duplicated with absolute assurance of uniform action in respect to their working parts. It will be understood that as a very large number of these clamps are employed in single machines and that all of the clamps should operate upon the selvage of the cloth in exactly the same manner and to the same extent, it is importantto provide a construction in which the operative parts may be inexpensivelymade and yet shall be exact duplicates and capable of cooperation in exactly the same manner and with the production of indentical results. All ct these advantages have been secured in the particular construction of clamp herein provided.

"It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and while I have in been toun. in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood tha do not restrict myselfto the details, me are susceptible of modification ous particulars Without departing spirit or scope of the invention.-

now described my invention, what as-new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

in a cloth clamp for textile machines, body having ahorizontal frame constituting a support for the stationary jaw, combined with a sheet metal plate resting non the horizontal frame of the body to constitute the stationary jaw thereof and liar-ring its outer edge provided with clamping means for attachment to the front-edge of the horizontal frame ofthe body and its rear end secured thereto by a pin, said plate having a slot near its front edge and its portion bent upwardly to'provide a hinge socket, a pivoted clamping jaw hinged to the bodyand coacting withthe plate to grip the cloth, and a forwardly extending arm hinged to the 'hinge socketof the plate and having a toot portion arranged to pass through the slot in the plate when not sustained bythe cloth and providing a connection with the pivoted j aw to sustain it out of gripping action when the foot is sustained by the cloth. 1

2. The invention according to claim :1, wherein the clamping connection between the front edge of the horizontal :frame and late comprises a downward and rearward from the la a vine "7,

with a slot and the connection therewith= to the pivoted jaw constitutes rearwardly extending parts from the jaw, and a transverse pin carried thereby and extending through the slot of the arm.

et. In a cloth clamp, a j aw formed of an extended plate provided with a slot and having its rear end "formed with two upwardly bent arms to. provide a. hinge socket extending above the level or the plate and integral therewith, combined with a pivoted arm. hingedly connected to the hinged socket and having a downwardlyextending foot portion adapted to pass through the slot inthe plate when not sustained by the cloth.

5. The invention according to cla-ini 4,

with an aperture for attachment near its rear part and close to the hinge socket thereof.

6. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the pivoted clamping jaw is provided with e reerwardly extending slot near its middle, and wherein further the foot portion of the hinged arm extends upwardly in a blunt nose which enters the slot in the pivoted clamping jaw when moved backward to prevent the selvage edge of the cloth entering between the said foot and rear part of the clamping jaw.

In'testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

HUGO OSCAR wiEeANn. 

